Arts Entertainments

Author Robert Munsch is approved for MAID, but his daughter clarifies he’s ‘not dying’

He first said it years ago: the stories will be the last to go. And now, prolific and iconic children’s author Robert Munsch — beloved for his stories about a plucky princess named Elizabeth, about Mortimer’s bedtime protest song, about a little boy whose mother will love him forever — is saying that even though the stories still remain with […]

Arts Entertainments

14 Canadian books make 2025 Giller Prize longlist

Fourteen books have been longlisted for the 2025 Giller Prize. The $100,000 award annually recognizes the best in Canadian fiction.  The 2025 longlist features 12 novels and two short story collections, covering a wide range of subjects, from a 1800s train disaster, to life working in a nail salon and the stories of abducted children in Uganda.  It includes three […]

Arts Entertainments

Pro-Palestinian statements, politics take the stage at 77th Emmy awards

Alongside the big wins and red carpet glamour of the 77th Emmy Awards, multiple stars took the award show as a chance to make political statements. Hacks star Hannah Einbinder made the first and most prominent political statement of the night in her acceptance speech after winning best supporting actress in a comedy. She shouted out […]

Arts Entertainments

The Studio, Adolescence win big at the 2025 Emmy Awards

Stars of television shows The Pitt, The White Lotus and Hacks strutted on the red carpet on Sunday for Hollywood’s Emmy Awards, where Seth Rogen’s The Studio showed off a stunning run of successes. The Studio star Seth Rogen was the first of the night to take home gold, earning the Canadian actor his first Emmy after nine career nominations. Despite going on to […]

Arts Entertainments

The Road Between Us wins People’s Choice Award for best documentary at TIFF

A controversial documentary about a retired Israeli general’s rescue mission on Oct. 7, 2023, has won the People’s Choice Award for best documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, directed by Barry Avrich, drew competing pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protests outside its single screening this week. The list of […]

Arts Entertainments

Documentary about groundbreaking Lilith Fair premieres at TIFF

6 hours ago News Duration 2:18 The Toronto International Film Festival is hosting the premiere of Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery, about Sarah McLachlan’s all-women music festival that ran from 1997 to 1999 and featured artists including Missy Elliott and Nelly Furtado while facing plenty of pushback. CBC’s Makda Ghebreslassie reports from the red carpet.

Arts Entertainments

Music festival cancels performance led by Israeli conductor over war in Gaza

European politicians are condemning a Belgian classical music festival’s decision to cancel an upcoming performance led by an Israeli conductor due to concerns over where he stands on the war in Gaza. Organizers of the Flanders Festival Ghent announced on Wednesday they were cancelling a performance by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra slated for Sept. 18. […]

Arts Entertainments

Actress Ayo Edebiri shuts down interviewer who tried to exclude her from question on #MeToo and #BLM

Actress Ayo Edebiri is garnering applause for her response after an interviewer tried to shut her out of a question about the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements in a recent interview. Edebiri and co-stars Andrew Garfield and Julia Roberts were promoting their film After the Hunt on Italy’s ArtsLife TV when reporter journalist Federica […]

Arts Entertainments

Actress Polly Holliday, sassy sidekick on hit sitcom Alice, dead at 88

Polly Holliday, a Tony Award-nominated screen and stage actor who turned the catchphrase “Kiss my grits!”into a national retort as the gum-chewing, beehive-wearing waitress aboard the long-running CBS sitcom Alice, has died. She was 88. Holliday died Tuesday at her home in New York, said her theatrical agent, Dennis Aspland. She was the last surviving […]

Arts Entertainments

Degrassi co-creator settles lawsuit, TIFF premiere to go ahead as planned

Degrassi co-creator Linda Schuyler has settled a short-lived dispute with producers and production companies WildBrain and Peacock Alley over the new Degrassi documentary. Schuyler initially filed a lawsuit to halt the Saturday premiere of Degrassi: Whatever It Takes at the Toronto International Film Festival, alleging that “defamatory statements and innuendo” in the film lead viewers to […]

Arts Entertainments

James McAvoy punched at Toronto bar, apparently unprovoked, while in city for film fest

Actor James McAvoy was punched by a man at a downtown Toronto bar, apparently unprovoked, late on Monday evening. A source connected to the actor confirmed to CBC News that, as was first reported by People magazine, a man punched McAvoy without warning while being escorted out of Charlotte’s Room, a bar just a few blocks from the headquarters […]

Arts Entertainments

Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga stun with big performances and wins at MTV’s Video Music Awards

Pop singer Ariana Grande claimed the top prize at the MTV Video Music Awards, while Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter scored major honours at a star-studded celebration of fan favourites in New York on Sunday. In addition to video of the year, Grande took home the award for best pop video, and had the audience buzzing when she thanked her “therapists and […]

Arts Entertainments

TIFF 2025: Cillian Murphy’s Steve is a dour, dark delight

The first actor to ever win two consecutive Oscars didn’t exactly break the mould to do so. Spencer Tracy snagged his first trophy for the 1937 sleeper hit Captains Courageous — a Rudyard Kipling adaptation starring Tracy as a questionably accented Portuguese fisherman, forced to care for and educate a belligerent youngster — a youngster who, it turns […]

Arts Entertainments

Sydney Sweeney and other Hollywood stars arrive for day 2 of TIFF

Sydney Sweeney was among the Hollywood stars who arrived early on day two of the Toronto International Film Festival Friday, ahead of the world premiere of David Michôd’s biographical sports drama Christy, starring Sweeney as pioneering women’s boxer Christy Martin.  TIFF is expected to welcome a wave of stars including Angelina Jolie, Keanu Reeves and Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson […]

Arts Entertainments

Toronto film festival kicks off with John Candy doc. Here’s what else is happening on Day 1

The 50th Toronto International Film Festival kicks off today with the world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me, a documentary celebrating the late Canadian comedian. Candy’s family will walk the red carpet alongside the opening-night film’s executive producer Ryan Reynolds and director Colin Hanks. The documentary will feature the Toronto-raised actor’s life on and off camera, with exclusive home videos, […]

Arts Entertainments

Who is Vogue’s new editor Chloe Malle, and how does she intend to put her own stamp on the magazine?

What’s the most important thing you need to know about Chloe Malle, the woman taking over from legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour? Is it that she’s a “proud nepo baby” (her words), the child of late film director Louis Malle and Oscar nominated, Emmy winning actor Candice Bergen — who, coincidentally, graced the cover of Vogue herself […]

Arts Entertainments

Barrie, Ont.’s Veronika Slowikowska joins SNL, sole Canadian among 5 new cast members

Live from New York, Canadian comic Veronika Slowikowska will soon grace the stage of NBC’s venerable sketch comedy show on Saturday nights starting this fall. Slowikowska, from Barrie, Ont., will be among five new cast members joining Saturday Night Live when its 51st season premieres on Oct. 4. She has grown a large following on Instagram […]

Arts Entertainments

Top Boy actor Micheal Ward granted bail in U.K. court over rape and sexual assault charges

British actor Micheal Ward was granted bail Thursday after appearing at a central London court to face charges of rape and sexual assault. The 27-year-old, who starred as Jamie in the Netflix crime drama Top Boy, faces two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault. The charges first made headlines last month, while the alleged […]

Arts Entertainments

KPop Demon Hunters wasn’t a sure thing. It’s now Netflix’s most-watched movie — ever

Toronto’s Maggie Kang may be sitting on the hottest movie of the year, which as of Tuesday earned 236 million views — more streams than any other Netflix film ever. And she may have just launched that juggernaut streamer’s first hugely successful theatrical release, with sing-along screenings scheduled for screaming fans around the world. But that doesn’t mean KPop […]

Arts Entertainments

Toronto filmmaker’s The Things You Kill is Canada’s submission at the Oscars

Iranian Canadian filmmaker Alireza Khatami’s psychological thriller, inspired by his own family trauma, is Canada’s submission for consideration at the Academy Awards. He just hopes his relatives don’t see the film. Telefilm Canada announced on Tuesday that The Things You Kill will be submitted as Canada’s entry for best international feature. Earlier this year, the movie premiered […]

Arts Entertainments

The Roses is a perfectly terrifying takedown of love

“The work goes on!” chant two towheaded ten-year-olds, testing out their new mantra while transitioning from yet another 10K into even more windsprints.  Of course, this is strange. And not only because their self-improvement obsessed father, Theo Rose (Benedict Cumberbatch), is standing behind them grinning maniacally with a stopwatch. And not just because barely 20 minutes […]

Arts Entertainments

Sarah McLachlan’s daughter offered to skip graduation to see her mom perform with one of Gen Z’s favourite DJs

Sarah McLachlan wasn’t about to skip her daughter’s high school graduation for a splashy gig in Ibiza with American DJ John Summit. But it’s a suggestion the singer-songwriter says her 18-year-old made earlier this summer in hopes she might tag along with her mom for the party of a lifetime. McLachlan’s voice features on Summit’s fresh […]

Arts Entertainments

French streamers’ broadcasted death prompts outcry while authorities investigate possible abuse

The death of a French streamer during a days-long broadcast on the platform Kick, in which he’d allegedly been harmed and humiliated for viewers’ entertainment, has sparked mass outrage and investigation by authorities. Raphael Graven, 46, who went by Jean Pormanove online, died on Monday near Nice during a broadcast on the Kick livestreaming platform that had […]

Arts Entertainments

TikTok Canada is closing soon. The Beaches and bbno$ warn it will hurt homegrown artists

In 2021, a TikTok of Canadian rapper bbno$ raising his eyebrows to the beat of his single Edamame started gaining traction — and eventually changed the course of his career. The platform’s Canadian team suggested he recreate the clip with a safari-themed filter, then helped push it globally. “When that happened, the song just skyrocketed,” he […]

Arts Entertainments

TIFF CEO apologizes for pulling and reinviting documentary about Oct. 7 to the festival

CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival, Cameron Bailey, apologized for any hurt caused by the festival’s decision to pull and then reinvite a film about the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. “I want to apologize for any hurt, frustration, or disappointment that our communication about the film has caused, and for any mischaracterizations that have […]

Arts Entertainments

Aubrey Plaza opens up about grieving husband’s death: ‘It’s a daily struggle, obviously’

Actor Aubrey Plaza appeared on Parks and Recreation co-star Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang on Tuesday, opening up about the death of her husband Jeff Baena. Baena, a director and writer behind indie successes ranging from absurdist drama I Heart Huckabees to black comedy The Little Hours, died January at 47. His death was ruled a suicide.  “People want […]

Arts Entertainments

‘Skibidi’ and ‘tradwife’ are now part of the Cambridge Dictionary

What the skibidi is happening to the English language? “Skibidi,” pronounced SKI-bih-dee, is one of the slang terms popularized by social media that are among more than 6,000 additions this year to the Cambridge Dictionary. “Internet culture is changing the English language and the effect is fascinating to observe and capture in the dictionary,” said […]

Arts Entertainments

‘Ketamine Queen’ accused of supplying drugs to actor Matthew Perry to plead guilty

A woman known as the “Ketamine Queen,” charged with selling Matthew Perry the drug that killed him, agreed to plead guilty Monday. Jasveen Sangha becomes the fifth and final defendant charged in the overdose death of the Friends star to strike a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, avoiding a trial that had been planned for September. […]

Arts Entertainments

Norval Morrisseau family, estate rep have long said they’re art fraud victims. Court docs question that

A Radio-Canada investigation that included looking into a civil lawsuit indicates members of Norval Morrisseau’s family and the man representing the late Indigenous artist’s estate — who for years have presented themselves as the main victims of forgers and art dealers — might have played a role in this system that continues to undermine his legacy. Ritchie […]

Arts Entertainments

Terrence Stamp, U.K. actor who played General Zod in early Superman films, dead at 87

Terence Stamp, the British actor who often portrayed complex villains, including General Zod in the early Superman films, has died. He was 87. His death on Sunday was disclosed in a death notice published online. The London-born Stamp started his film career with 1962’s seafaring Billy Budd, for which he earned an Oscar nomination. Stamp’s six decades […]

Arts Entertainments

Why Hollywood will never stop remaking, rebooting and recycling the old same stories

The Naked Gun. 28 Days Later. I Know What You Did Last Summer. Jurassic Park. Thought these are all titles from 2025, you could be forgiven for thinking they came from Moviefone.  This year’s summer blockbuster season has been dominated by nostalgic fare: reboots, remakes and sequels. And while the retold story has been an element of […]

Arts Entertainments

U.S. composer’s copyright claims to Baby Shark song dismissed by South Korean Supreme Court

South Korea’s Supreme Court has rejected a 30-million won ($21,600 US) damage claim by an American composer who accused a South Korean kids content company of plagiarizing his version of Baby Shark, ending a six-year legal battle over the globally popular tune known for its catchy “doo doo doo doo doo doo” hook. On Thursday, the […]

Arts Entertainments

Taylor Swift unveils cover art, release date for upcoming album

Taylor Swift has unveiled the track list and release date for her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. It will arrive Oct. 3, she revealed Wednesday. Swift, Max Martin and Shellback are the credited producers, which includes a notable absence of her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. The album-closing title track will feature Sabrina Carpenter. […]

Arts Entertainments

TIFF pulls documentary about Oct. 7 attack from lineup over security and rights concerns

The Toronto International Film Festival has pulled from its lineup a documentary detailing one family’s experiences of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas over footage rights and security issues, though the festival says it is still trying to work through those concerns with the filmmakers. In an emailed statement, the filmmaking team behind the documentary […]

Arts Entertainments

Taylor Swift surprises fans with newly announced album, The Life of a Showgirl

Swifties, rejoice: Taylor Swift is coming back with her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. Swift, who has won 14 Grammys, including an unprecedented four trophies for album of the year, announced the album early Tuesday in a teaser for a podcast episode with her boyfriend and NFL star, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason Kelce. […]

Arts Entertainments

Sellouts for Nolan’s The Odyssey show audiences’ hunger for movies projected via film

A shattered statue, scattered amber, smoke plumes, a hint of defiance, a release date and a director’s name — the theatrical teaser and accompanying poster for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey was all it took for the film to sell out select cinemas a year in advance of its July 17, 2026, release date. The select theatres — 16 in the […]

Arts Entertainments

Tragically Hip offers helping hand to Canada women’s rugby team fundraising campaign

The Tragically Hip is doing its bit to help support the Canadian women’s rugby team ahead of this month’s World Cup in England. The iconic Canadian band is selling a limited-edition T-shirt with proceeds going to supporting the second-ranked Canadian women. “This team is the embodiment of what it means to be Canadian — passionate, […]

Arts Entertainments

Sellouts for Nolan’s The Odyssey shows audiences’ hunger for movies projected via film

A shattered statue, scattered amber, smoke plumes, a hint of defiance, a release date and a director’s name — the theatrical teaser and accompanying poster for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey was all it took for the film to sell out select cinemas a year in advance of its July 17, 2026, release date. The select theatres — 16 in the […]

Arts Entertainments

Francis Ford Coppola says he’s doing well following medical procedure in Rome

Francis Ford Coppola, the acclaimed American director of The Godfather movies and Apocalypse Now, underwent a non-emergency medical procedure by appointment at a hospital in Rome and is doing fine, he and a U.S.-based representative said on Tuesday. “Mr. Coppola went in for a scheduled update procedure with acclaimed Dr. Andrea Natale, his doctor of over 30 […]

Arts Entertainments

Junos introduce Latin music category in effort to recognize more Canadian-made sounds

Organizers at the Juno Awards, Canada’s biggest music awards show, say they plan to introduce Latin music recording of the year at the 2026 edition. The new category will recognize Canadian musicians across all Latin American languages and genres who’ve released music in the eligible year. It’s the latest move by the Junos to diversify […]

Arts Entertainments

Oasis ‘shocked and saddened’ after fan falls to death at London stadium concert

Entertainment The Metropolitan Police force said officers and paramedics responded to reports of an injured person just before 10:30 p.m. local time on Saturday night. It said a man in his 40s was found “with injuries consistent with a fall.” He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police seeking more information on Saturday’s incident; band’s […]

Arts Entertainments

Loni Anderson, actor in hit 1980s show WKRP in Cincinnati, dead at 79

Loni Anderson, who played a struggling radio station’s empowered receptionist on the hit TV comedy WKRP in Cincinnati, died Sunday — just days before her 80th birthday. Anderson died at a Los Angeles hospital following a prolonged illness, said her longtime publicist, Cheryl J. Kagan. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear wife, […]

Arts Entertainments

The YouTube-ification of streaming? Why Netflix is making big deals with YouTubers

YouTube-ification? Is that a thing? It appears to be what’s happening now with Netflix and other streaming services.  Some of YouTube’s hottest creators are landing lucrative deals to bring their shows to even wider audiences on streaming services where bigger production budgets mean they can take their content to the next level.  Beloved children’s educator and entertainer […]

Arts Entertainments

Corporation for Public Broadcasting plans closure after U.S. government defunds the non-profit

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a cornerstone of U.S. culture for three generations, announced Friday it’s taking steps toward its own closure after Congress defunded it. It would mark the end of a nearly six-decade era of fuelling the production of renowned educational programming, cultural content and even emergency alerts. The planned closure of CPB, which was […]

Arts Entertainments

Chief of War is a brutal look at the history of the real Hawaii, both dark and hopeful

A battle-weary warrior, seeking peace in obscurity. A tyrannical, war-mongering ex-leader pulling him out of self-imposed banishment to fight once again. A prophecy; a calling. A sweeping, blood-drenched epic in which the ensuing military conflict will surely define the politics and culture of the region for many years to come. No, this is not Brad Pitt […]

Arts Entertainments

Justin Timberlake reveals ‘debilitating’ Lyme disease diagnosis as he wraps world tour

American singer Justin Timberlake says he has been diagnosed with Lyme disease and is coping with health issues that have affected him physically and mentally. “Living with this can be relentlessly debilitating,” he said in a lengthy message to fans posted to Instagram on Wednesday. The 44-year old said he wanted to “shed some light about what he’s […]

Arts Entertainments

How an anti-porn lobby on payment processors censored thousands of video games

Video game developers are speaking out after two popular PC games stores made it harder — even impossible — to purchase thousands of games and other digital artworks, as a result of pressure exerted by an Australian anti-porn advocacy group. The takedown came after Collective Shout successfully lobbied payment networks and processors to stop facilitating financial transactions from storefronts […]

Arts Entertainments

Director Christopher Nolan criticized for filming The Odyssey in disputed Western Sahara

Revered Hollywood director Christopher Nolan’s next summer blockbuster won’t hit theatres until July 17, 2026, and it’s already setting precedents — and courting controversy.  The man behind box office hits like Oppenheimer and Inception is currently filming a big-screen version of Homer’s post-Trojan War epic The Odyssey, starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o and […]

Arts Entertainments

Trump vs. TV: A play-by-play of a wild week taking on the U.S. president’s naysayers

First he came for late-night TV, then a daytime talk show and a crude cartoon. U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration are fighting battles on all fronts when it comes to mockery and criticism of the 47th commander-in-chief. As speculation swirls that CBS might have turfed The Late Show with Stephen Colbert because of his recent […]

Arts Entertainments

How U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht put freedom of expression to the test in Canada

Had you heard of Sean Feucht before this month? If you hadn’t, you likely have now. The U.S.-based Christian musician wasn’t exactly a household name or selling out the biggest concert venues in this country, but his recent concert tour in Eastern and Central Canada has put him in the spotlight in the past couple of weeks, as permits […]

Arts Entertainments

As Katie Holmes and Joshua Jackson reunite, here’s why it might just heal millennials

Hark, do you hear it? It’s faint. Barely a whisper over the non-stop global catastrophes, two decades of unprecedented times, multiple economic downturns, robots, the realization we should already be saving for retirement, random joint pain and looming perimenopause. It is the sound of elder millennials healing. Late Monday, actor Katie Holmes announced on Instagram that she and fellow […]

Arts Entertainments

‘Go f–k yourself!’: What Stephen Colbert and other late-night hosts had to say after Late Show cancellation

There was a show of late-night solidarity on Monday night as The Late Show host Stephen Colbert’s comrades rallied behind him after CBS said it was cancelling his program in 2026.  Thursday’s announcement was met with shock as well as harsh criticism with many suggesting it was another concession to U.S. President Donald Trump by the network and its parent company, […]

Arts Entertainments

Canadian singer Matthew Good says ‘big political correction’ needed before he’ll tour U.S. again

Canadian rocker Matthew Good has cut upcoming U.S. shows from his summer tour, saying he can’t support government policies and political divisions south of the border and that he’s unlikely to perform in the country again until political tides turn.  Good, 54, announced the cancellations in a Facebook post on Friday morning, saying he’s willing to “risk […]

Arts Entertainments

The Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner dead at 54 after accidental drowning

Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for playing Bill Cosby’s son on the hit NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, has died at the age of 54 in an accidental drowning while on holiday with his family in Central America. TMZ and People first reported his death. The Associated Press reported Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department said Warner drowned Sunday while he […]

Arts Entertainments

Here’s what to expect at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival

Films starring Sydney Sweeney, Angelina Jolie and Aziz Ansari will premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, festival organizers announced Monday. TIFF laid out the selections to its galas and special presentations programs, which make up the bulk of the red carpet premieres to North America’s largest film festival. Films making their world premieres […]

Arts Entertainments

How AI, robotics and late artist Morrisseau are helping fight art fraud

Famed Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau was browsing a Vancouver gallery with his longtime friend Cory Dingle around 1993 when a painting stopped them in their tracks. The pair asked who created it. The answer? “Norval Morrisseau.” The trouble? The artist had never seen the work, let alone painted it. “We had a little chuckle and we left,” Dingle […]

Arts Entertainments

With Colbert exit, Canada will lose the talk show host most attuned to our whims and politics

The cancellation next year of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, announced by the host on Thursday night’s broadcast, is resonating as the most significant news in the television landscape in some time.  The reactions on social media range from surprise to dismay: Colbert has been in that seat for a decade and is the ratings leader among late night shows […]

Arts Entertainments

Ottawa weighs plans on AI, copyright as OpenAI fights Ontario court jurisdiction

Canada’s artificial intelligence minister is keeping a close watch on court cases in Canada and the U.S. to determine next steps for Ottawa’s regulatory approach to AI.  Some AI companies have claimed early wins south of the border, and OpenAI is now fighting the jurisdiction of an Ontario court to hear a lawsuit by news publishers. Evan […]

Arts Entertainments

Calls for Canada to bar bands Kneecap, Bob Vylan over anti-Israel messages test limits of free expression

Chanting for the death of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert. Cheering for Hamas. Calling on fans in the U.K. to “kill your local MP.” These are a few of the things that have a Jewish and Israeli advocacy organization and some Canadian politicians calling for the Irish rap group Kneecap […]

Arts Entertainments

Eddington is a political satire by horror auteur Ari Aster. But is it also a western?

Is Eddington a western? To believe writer/director Ari Aster, of course it is. Despite the fact that the Joaquin Phoenix-led feature is from the twisted mind that brought you Midsommar, Hereditary and Beau Is Afraid, Aster has not let up in interviews from dubbing it one. And if we’re thinking geographically, it would be impossible […]

Arts Entertainments

Fire destroys main stage of Belgium’s Tomorrowland music festival before event

A massive fire at Belgium’s Tomorrowland music festival site “severely damaged” the main stage on Wednesday, two days before the event was due to start. Flames engulfed the stage in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, igniting fireworks on site and sending plumes of black smoke billowing into the air around 6 p.m. local time. ”Due to a serious […]

Arts Entertainments

Lead cast announced for The Legend of Zelda live-action film, coming May 2027

The lead actors, along with an expected release date, were announced Wednesday for the live-action film of the popular Nintendo game,The Legend of Zelda.  The announcement from Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo’s representative director and renowned video game designer, was posted on X. Link, the main protagonist, will be played by English actor Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, while English actress Bo Bragason will […]

Arts Entertainments

Andrea Gibson, queer poet whose work unflinchingly probed life and mortality, dead at 49

Andrea Gibson, a celebrated poet and performance artist who through their verse explored gender identity, politics and their experience with terminal ovarian cancer, died Monday at age 49. Gibson’s death was announced on social media by their wife, Megan Falley. Gibson and Falley are the main subjects of the documentary Come See Me in the […]

Arts Entertainments

Canadian Seth Rogen’s The Studio leads comedy noms for Primetime Emmys. Here’s who’s vying for TV’s top prize

Canadian Seth Rogen nabbed three major nominations as the 77th Primetime Emmy Award nominations were announced in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Rogen created the Apple TV+ comedy The Studio, which was among the nominees for outstanding comedy series along with Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Hacks, Nobody Wants This, Only Murders in the Building, Shrinking and What We […]

Arts Entertainments

Gorky Park, Havana Bay mystery author Martin Cruz Smith dead at 82

Martin Cruz Smith, the bestselling mystery novelist who engaged readers for decades with Gorky Park and other thrillers featuring Moscow investigator Arkady Renko, has died at age 82. Smith died Friday at a senior living community in San Rafael, Calif., “surrounded by those he loved,” according to his publisher, Simon & Schuster. Smith revealed a decade […]

Arts Entertainments

5 things to know about Swag, Justin Bieber’s new album

Justin Bieber has finally returned with a new album, Swag — his first full-length record since 2021’s Justice.  The 21-song project has a runtime of more than 51 minutes, and sees Bieber collaborate with artists including Gunna, Cash Cobain, Sexyy Red, and Mk.gee. Touching on themes spanning marriage, fame and fatherhood, Swag was released on Friday, less than […]

Arts Entertainments

Musicians fight uphill battle as AI infiltrates streaming platforms, cutting into royalties

Musicians are calling for regulations and finding creative ways to fight back as AI “bands” climb the charts on streaming platforms, soaking up already meagre royalty payments. But as a major musicians’ union works for legal change, a copyright expert says the law is failing to keep up with artificial intelligence. This comes as an act called The Velvet Sundown has hit […]

Arts Entertainments

Coldplay’s Chris Martin says he didn’t mean to insult Rogers Stadium after calling it ‘weird’

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin says he didn’t mean to insult Toronto’s newest concert venue when he called it a “weird stadium in the middle of nowhere.” Martin issued the clarification Friday during the third of four concerts at the newly built Rogers Stadium, which is on the outskirts of the city. He says he “never […]

Arts Entertainments

Sports fans ‘flabbergasted’ after Sportsnet announces double-digit price hike

Canadian sports fans are tearing into Sportsnet after they learned its streaming service will be hiking prices by double digits before the next hockey season.  Sportsnet, which is owned by Rogers Sports & Media, announced in an email to customers Thursday that it will raise the annual price of its Sportsnet+ premium package by 30 per cent, from […]

Arts Entertainments

Paul McCartney to play Hamilton and Montreal this fall — the only Canadian stops in North American tour

Paul McCartney has a ticket to ride to Hamilton, where he’s taking his Got Back tour in November. The Beatles rocker announced a new North American leg of his tour on Thursday.  He’ll play Hamilton’s TD Coliseum on Nov. 21. McCartney’s is the first show coming to the newly named and renovated venue. Tickets go on sale […]

Arts Entertainments

TikTok Canada halts sponsorships at TIFF, Junos and other arts groups

TikTok says it’s pulling out as a sponsor of several Canadian arts institutions, including the Juno Awards and the Toronto International Film Festival, as it prepares to comply with a federal order to shut down operations in Canada. Since opening offices in Toronto and Vancouver, TikTok says it has invested millions in programs and partnerships supporting local artists and creators over […]

Arts Entertainments

Coldplay fans concerned about new Rogers Stadium ahead of band’s Toronto shows

Coldplay fans are gearing up to watch the band perform this week in Toronto, but some say they are concerned after mixed reviews about the concert’s venue, Rogers Stadium. The new 50,000-seat open-air venue in north Toronto will host the British rock band for four performances taking place between Monday and Saturday. Maria Strachan, who is going to […]

Arts Entertainments

How a Canadian’s AI hoax duped the media and propelled a ‘band’ to streaming success

A Canadian who duped journalists in an elaborate AI music hoax says he apologizes to anyone hurt by his experiment but that it’s been “too fascinating” to turn away from. A man using the pseudonym Andrew Frelon posed as the spokesperson for a band called The Velvet Sundown — which he later said he had no involvement with — creating […]

Arts Entertainments

Julian McMahon, actor of Fantastic Four, Charmed and Nip/Tuck fame, dead at 56

Julian McMahon, an Australia-born actor who appeared in two Fantastic Four films and TV shows such as Charmed, Nip/Tuck and Profiler, has died, his wife said in a statement. McMahon, 56, died peacefully this week after a battle with cancer, Kelly McMahon said in a statement provided to The Associated Press by his Beverly Hills, Calif.-based publicist. […]

Arts Entertainments

Mr. Dressup actor and musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland brings ‘pure love’ back to the screen with kids TV pilot

When Beverly Glenn-Copeland and his partner Elizabeth first conceived of a new children’s TV show a few years ago, they set out to teach kids about caring for the planet, the importance of community and adapting to change.  A few years into the process, after a vision was developed, characters were fleshed out and a […]

Arts Entertainments

Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill actor Michael Madsen dead at 67

Michael Madsen, whose menacing characters in Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill made him a standout in Quentin Tarantino’s films, has died. He was 67. Madsen was found unresponsive in his home in Malibu, Calif., on Thursday morning and pronounced dead, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Watch Cmdr. Christopher Jauregui said. He is believed to have died of natural causes and […]

Arts Entertainments

What the Diddy verdict could mean for the rap mogul — and the entertainment industry at large

After a landmark case spanning weeks of witness testimony and arguments, rap mogul and entrepreneur Sean (Diddy) Combs got his verdict. After returning Wednesday morning, the jury announced their findings: Combs was guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, and not guilty of two counts of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy. Those […]

Arts Entertainments

Jury returns for second day of deliberations in Sean (Diddy) Combs’s sex trafficking trial

A jury returned Tuesday to deliberate for a second day at hip-hop mogul Sean (Diddy) Combs’s federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial. Jurors were back behind closed doors weighing whether prosecutors proved the charges at a trial that began in early May. Combs’s lawyers and prosecutors, meanwhile, began the day wrangling in the courtroom with Judge […]

Arts Entertainments

U.K. police say Bob Vylan, Kneecap gigs at Glastonbury subject to criminal investigation

U.K. police say the weekend performances by rap punk duo Bob Vylan and Irish-language band Kneecap are subject to a criminal investigation after chants calling for “death” to the Israeli military and chants of “Free Palestine” at the Glastonbury Festival. Police on Monday said the performances “have been recorded as a public order incident.” Meanwhile, the […]

Arts Entertainments

Jury in Sean (Diddy) Combs’s sex trafficking trial starts deliberating

WARNING: This story contains allegations of ​​​sexual violence and may affect those who have experienced​ it or know someone affected by it. Jurors started deliberating Monday in Sean (Diddy) Combs’s sex trafficking case, weighing charges that could put the hip-hop mogul in prison for life. After receiving legal instructions from federal Judge Arun Subramanian for more […]

Arts Entertainments

A music librarian brought Stephen Sondheim to tears — and got him to bequeath his life’s work

As It Happens6:29A music librarian brought Stephen Sondheim to tears — and got him to bequeath his life’s work Mark Horowitz is quite proud that he made Stephen Sondheim cry. He’s even more proud that, in doing so, he convinced the late musical theatre legend to bequeath his vast archive of manuscripts, sheet music, recordings, […]

Arts Entertainments

Did ‘bean mouth’ really kill Pixar’s Elio at the box office?

Why did Pixar’s Elio put up the worst numbers in the studio’s history in its opening weekend? The reasons professionals give for the sci-fi family movie’s paltry $35 million US global box-office earning vary. But if you ask the internet, there’s a far simpler issue at play. “Nobody wants the bean mouth style of character design,” wrote one reader when commenting on a […]

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Love Island USA tells viewers to stop harassing contestants: ‘Remember they’re real people’

Where’s the love? Love Island USA — currently in its seventh season and the most-watched streaming reality show in the U.S. — has issued a rare and serious warning to its many fans that harassing its contestants will not be tolerated. This comes as viewers have increasingly criticized the show’s cast members online. The attacks amped up […]

Arts Entertainments

Lalo Schifrin, who wrote endlessly catchy Mission: Impossible theme, dead at 93

Lalo Schifrin, the composer who wrote the endlessly catchy theme for Mission: Impossible and more than 100 other arrangements for film and television, died Thursday. He was 93. Schifrin’s sons, William and Ryan, confirmed his death to media. Messages from The Associated Press to Schifrin’s publicist and representatives for the brothers were not immediately returned. The Argentine composer won four […]

Arts Entertainments

Sean (Diddy) Combs’s sex trafficking trial is nearing its end. Here’s how it played out

WARNING: This story contains allegations of ​​​sexual violence and may affect those who have experienced​ it or know someone affected by it. Prosecutors in the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of hip hop mogul Sean (Diddy) Combs have rested their case after calling 34 witnesses to testify over the course of more than six weeks.  The music […]

Arts Entertainments

Jaws attacked 50 years ago, changing how we look at movies — and sharks

Summers have never been quite the same since June 20, 1975, and it’s all thanks to a “mindless eating machine” that terrorized moviegoers and beachgoers alike. That was the day Jaws hit theatres, ushering in the era of the summer blockbuster and becoming a pop culture phenomenon that still resonates 50 years later.  Steven Spielberg’s classic tale of a great white […]

Arts Entertainments

All 7 members of K-pop band BTS have finished military service, with Suga discharged

Suga, a rapper and songwriter in the global K-pop sensation BTS, has been discharged from South Korea’s mandatory military service, marking the official return of all seven members from their enlistment duties.   The label confirmed that Suga completed his alternative service duties on Wednesday after using up his remaining leave. His official discharge date is […]

Arts Entertainments

Singer Chris Brown pleads not guilty in U.K. nightclub assault case

Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge related to the serious beating of a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023. Wearing a blue suit, white shirt and black-rimmed glasses, Brown, 36, was arraigned in London’s Southwark Crown Court on one count of attempting to unlawfully and maliciously cause grievous bodily harm […]

Arts Entertainments

Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders’ 400% raise is a reminder of how little female athletes get paid

If you’re among the millions who have been riveted by America’s Sweethearts, Netflix’s docuseries about the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, then you already know that the 36 women who make the squad are nothing less than pro athletes. Most come from studio-trained dance backgrounds. They endure gruelling training programs and have to meet intense physical demands — their trademark kick-line […]

Arts Entertainments

Elio is Pixar’s best, most beautifully brilliant movie in a decade. Too bad it will probably bomb

As a film, Elio is gorgeous. In short, it’s a somehow equal parts miraculous and original wonder — so good it feels a bit out of place among a summer of adaptations, remakes, sequels and remakes of adaptations of sequels.  Perhaps not that last one. But it is hard to ignore the benefits of Elio: Pixar’s animation style (which seemed stuck in a […]

Arts Entertainments

Netflix’s Trainwreck doc revisits Rob Ford’s chaotic mayoral run and public struggles

Shianne Brown still remembers her disbelief when she heard, half a world away, that Toronto mayor Rob Ford had been caught on video smoking crack cocaine. “What the hell is happening in Toronto? That’s crazy,” the filmmaker from London, England, recalls thinking when the news broke in 2013. The late mayor quickly became an international […]

Arts Entertainments

Khaby Lame has the most followers on TikTok. ICE detained him — and now he’s left the U.S.

Khaby Lame, the world’s most popular TikTok personality with millions of followers, has left the U.S. after being detained by immigration agents in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa. The Senegalese-Italian influencer, whose legal name is Serigne Khabane Lame, was detained Friday at Harry Reid International Airport but was allowed to leave the country […]

Arts Entertainments

Kendrick Lamar gets 2-minute ovation after performing Drake diss track in Toronto

Kendrick Lamar stepped onto Drake’s turf Thursday, playing his first concert in Toronto since the rift between the music superstars went into hyperdrive last year. For the most part, the Los Angeles rapper didn’t fan the flames of his feud, even if some ticketholders hoped he might douse the conflict in gasoline. Instead, Lamar mostly took […]

Arts Entertainments

As disinformation and hate thrive online, YouTube quietly changed how it moderates content

YouTube, the world’s largest video platform, appears to have changed its moderation policies to allow more content that violates its own rules to remain online. The change happened quietly in December, according to The New York Times, which reviewed training documents for moderators indicating that a video could stay online if the offending material did […]

Arts Entertainments

Canadian producer Bob Ezrin on elevating Pink Floyd, taming KISS and leaving the U.S. behind

Bob Ezrin’s resumé is as impressive as it is diverse. Over his five-decade career, the legendary Canadian music producer has worked with dozens of artists, from Alice Cooper and Jane’s Addiction to Taylor Swift and Andrea Bocelli. “Most people don’t understand what I do for a living,” he told CBC’s Ian Hanomansing in a wide-ranging […]

Arts Entertainments

Beach Boys visionary Brian Wilson dead at 82

Brian Wilson, whose virtuoso vocal and musical arrangements led the Beach Boys to commercial and critical success, making them one of America’s most influential bands, has died.   The death of Wilson, who would have turned 83 next week, was announced by his family on his social media platforms, though they did not specify exactly when […]

Arts Entertainments

Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement

Disney and Universal have filed a copyright lawsuit against popular artificial intelligence image-generator Midjourney, marking the first time major Hollywood companies have entered the legal battle over generative AI. Filed in federal district court in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the complaint claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios to generate and distribute […]

Arts Entertainments

How to Train Your Dragon: We can get one good live-action adaptation. As a treat

There are legitimate reasons to remake a movie. There are the remakes of old, unnoticed hidden gems — like 1999’s Scarface or 2021’s West Side Story — reinterpreted for modern audiences. There are the re-imaginings of non-English-language fare that, as in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, still find something new to say. And then, there are remakes like O Brother Where Art […]

Arts Entertainments

Video game actors, companies reach tentative deal to end nearly year-long strike over AI

The union for Hollywood’s video game performers has reached a tentative contract with several video game companies, which may bring an end to an almost year-long strike tied to the use of artificial intelligence. Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists went on strike in July 2024 after negotiations with game […]

Arts Entertainments

Legendary rapper Snoop Dogg performs ahead of B.C. Lions home opener

The B.C. Lions have kicked off their CFL season with a concert by legendary rapper Snoop Dogg. The 35-minute performance came before the Lions hosted the Edmonton Elks in their first game of the season. Snoop Dogg performed several of his hits, including “P.I.M.P.,” “Gin and Juice,,” and “Drop it Like it’s Hot,” plus abbreviated versions of songs he has […]

Arts Entertainments

A knighthood is coming for soon-to-be Sir David Beckham, according to media reports

David Beckham, the former England soccer captain who has been an ambassador for the UN children’s fund for two decades, is to receive a knighthood in next week’s honours list from King Charles III, according to U.K. media reports Friday.    Without citing sources, BBC said Beckham is set to receive further recognition both for his soccer […]

Arts Entertainments

Police investigating if homophobia played a role in King of the Hill actor’s killing

Investigators are looking into whether the sexual orientation of King of the Hill voice actor Jonathan Joss played a role in his shooting death in Texas, authorities said Thursday, walking back a previous statement about the potential motive. Joss’s husband has claimed the person who killed the actor yelled “violent homophobic slurs” before opening fire outside […]

Arts Entertainments

CBC’s Heather Hiscox to sign off after 20 years hosting national morning news

Heather Hiscox will say good morning to loyal CBC News viewers for the last time this fall, as she steps away from the anchor desk after 20 years as host of CBC Morning Live on CBC News Network.  The veteran broadcaster, who announced her retirement on Wednesday morning at CBC’s 2025-26 season preview, says revealing her decision […]

Arts Entertainments

Harvey Weinstein’s sex crimes retrial is coming to a close. Here’s what you need to know

WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it. Jurors will soon weigh the case against former movie studio boss Harvey Weinstein, who is standing trial for a second time in New York on sexual assault charges.  The trial, which began in a Manhattan criminal court on April 23, moved […]

Arts Entertainments

Is your favourite show CanCon enough? Here’s why the definition of Canadian content may get a reboot

What’s your favourite bit of CanCon? Maybe Schitt’s Creek, which aired on CBC but also streamed on Netflix, comes to mind. Perhaps some iteration of Anne of Green Gables. Or maybe a classic David Cronenberg flick like Dead Ringers? These are all considered to be CanCon — shorthand for Canadian content, it refers to film and television productions made […]

Arts Entertainments

Trump biopic The Apprentice takes home top film award at Canadian Screen Awards

The divisive, little-seen yet still-controversial Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice managed to grab the brass ring on Sunday, taking home the top award of best motion picture at the final night of the Canadian Screen Awards.  It beat out stiff competition in that top category from filmmaker Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language, which made the Academy […]

Arts Entertainments

Who is the next James Bond? It’s anyone’s guess. But a luxury watchmaker just shifted the odds

The rumour mill is both shaken and stirred at the prospect of the next James Bond star being inadvertently — maybe — leaked.  Speculation has been swirling online in recent days that British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the star of films like 2024’s Kraven the Hunter and the 2022 hit Bullet Train, is poised to take on the role of […]

Arts Entertainments

Marble bust of rock legend Jim Morrison found, 37 years after it disappeared

As It Happens5:26Marble bust of rock legend Jim Morrison found, 37 years after it disappeared A marble bust of rock legend Jim Morrison vanished without a trace in 1988, leaving behind only rumours, speculation and a mystery that baffled fans for decades. Now, 37 years later, it’s finally been found — unexpectedly uncovered in Paris during an entirely […]

Arts Entertainments

The Handmaid’s Tale is over after 6 seasons, but our obsession with dystopian TV will go on

If there’s one thing you can expect from a dystopian series like The Handmaid’s Tale it’s that it won’t wrap up neatly with a pretty bow.  The show, based on Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s acclaimed 1985 novel and shot largely in and around Toronto, has come to an end. The final episode dropped on the streaming service Crave in Canada […]

Arts Entertainments

At Sean (Diddy) Combs trial, ex-employee testifies she was threatened, kidnapped

WARNING: This story contains allegations of ​​​sexual violence and may affect those who have experienced​ it or know someone affected by it. A former top aide to Sean (Diddy) Combs testified Tuesday at his sex trafficking trial that the music mogul threatened her with death on her first day on the job and later kidnapped her at gunpoint as he sought to […]

Arts Entertainments

At 95, Canadian artist and naturalist Robert Bateman still paints every day

Canadian artist and naturalist Robert Bateman celebrated his 95th birthday on May 24 — and while many would have considered retirement long ago, slowing down hasn’t crossed his mind.  Bateman is still showing his work at solo exhibitions and international shows, painting every day and enjoying the nature surrounding his Salt Spring Island, B.C., home, […]

Arts Entertainments

Canadian rock star Max Kerman explains why he wrote a memoir — and why creativity matters now more than ever

The Next Chapter24:12Arkells’ Max Kerman isn’t afraid to be a try-hard For two decades, the Canadian rock band Arkells have been making music, winning Junos and touring the globe. Now, lead singer Max Kerman offers an inside look into life in a band and breaks down the nuts and bolts of building a music career in […]

Arts Entertainments

Singer Chris Brown free on bail while awaiting trial over alleged London nightclub attack

A British judge ordered Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown released on 5-million-pound ($9.3 million Cdn) bail on Wednesday while facing allegations he beat and seriously injured a music producer with a bottle in a London nightclub in 2023. The decision by a judge in Southwark Crown Court revives Brown’s world tour, which was cast in doubt when […]

Arts Entertainments

Billy Joel cancels all concerts after brain disorder diagnosis

U.S. singer-songwriter and pianist Billy Joel said Friday he is cancelling all his scheduled concerts — including a stop in Toronto — after he was recently diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, a brain disorder. The 76-year-old singer is undergoing physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing while he recovers, according to a statement on social […]